HGTV’s Ty Pennington Shares Health Update 2 Years After Emergency Surgery

It’s been two years since Ty Pennington underwent emergency surgery for an abscess that nearly blocked his airway, and he’s feeling better than ever.

“That was so crazy. It’s one of those freak things that could happen to anybody, but it’s crazy how risky it was,” Pennington shared in an interview with OK! published on Tuesday, September 30. “It definitely shed light on how important it is to stay healthy for others. I am definitely on top of that, and I am taking care of myself. When you have pets in your life, you’re happier and you take better care of yourself.”

While Pennington had “no idea” what was happening at the time, he enjoyed how the “attention” of his health scare showed him “how much people love.” He explained, “I was like, ‘This is great, people care!’ I am much better, and I’m around to take care of everybody else. Who would have guessed the hyperactive kid would be the one looking after everybody else? That’s the beauty of life — there are curveballs!”

Back in July 2023, the Rock the Block host revealed via Instagram that he was hospitalized after realizing he “could barely breathe.” He wrote, “Turns out, that sore throat I’ve had for the last month was actually an abscess which had grown so large it was closing off my airway. Next thing I know, I was intubated and flown to the ICU in Denver. Wednesday I had surgery and yesterday afternoon I was released from the ICU 🙌🏼.”

 

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In addition to thanking the hospital staff who helped him recover, Pennington also reminded fans to “LISTEN to your body when it’s telling you something 😳😅.”

Despite his health scare, Pennington told OK! that he is still sometimes in “denial” of his age. “I certainly don’t act feel it or act like it!” the 60-year-old said. “The thing about TV is that you can’t force anything — what’s meant to come will come to you. I love what I am doing now. I’m the old guy that has been doing it forever. I still get to keep my sense of humor, and I love working with people and being able to lend a hand up to the next generation.”

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Pennington previously reflected on his health scare experience in a March 2024 interview with Entertainment Tonight. “It made me realize you just don’t know when your timecard’s gonna get pulled, so wake up, live every single day to the fullest,” he shared. “I mean that’s why the 60s is gonna be like time to start doing everything and that’s what I love about being part of these projects because I think we all want to make sure we’ve done things to be remembered.”

Pennington gave fans another health update earlier this year, telling Fox News in February that he was in “really good health.” He added, “I had no idea, like, an abscess like that could even happen. So I was, like, in shock. I’m sure a few people out there were excited: ‘Does that mean we won’t hear his annoying voice anymore?’ But unfortunately, the voice did come back.”